--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Perhaps the most prevailing expectation…" description: "\"Perhaps the most prevailing expectation of men is our Superman expectation: the fear we are merely Clark Kents who won't be accepted unless we are a Su..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bdf/warren-farrell-1187_accepted_perhaps-the-most-prevailing-expectation_178354.png" --- # Perhaps the most prevailing expectation of men is our… ![“Perhaps the most prevailing expectation of men is our Superman expectation: the fear we are merely Clark Kents who won't be accepted unless we are a Superman.” quote by Warren Farrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bdf/warren-farrell-1187_accepted_perhaps-the-most-prevailing-expectation_178354.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bdf/warren-farrell-1187_accepted_perhaps-the-most-prevailing-expectation_178354.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bdf/warren-farrell-1187_accepted_perhaps-the-most-prevailing-expectation_178354.png) > “Perhaps the most prevailing expectation of men is our Superman expectation: the fear we are merely Clark Kents who won't be accepted unless we are a Superman.” [Warren Farrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-farrell/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Societal pressure pushes men to adopt an unattainable ideal, causing fear of being seen as ordinary. **In simple terms:** Men feel forced to be superhuman, fearing rejection if they’re normal. Key Takeaway Redefine success beyond heroic standards. Themes masculinity social expectations identity fear heroic ideal Mood critical thoughtful Type cultural philosophical When to use this quote - career advancement - personal relationships - media influence Key Concepts sociology gender studies self‑esteem Questions to Reflect On - How does this expectation affect your self‑image? - What alternative models of masculinity can you embrace? A Different Perspective Not all men aspire to superhero status; diversity of strengths exists. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Expectations](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/expectations/) [Fear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fear/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) ## Related quotes > [“I feel the weight upon me, the weight of expectation, of fear.  I have failed once before, and now the specter of failure looms…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/casey-hill/i-feel-the-weight-upon-me-the-weight-of-expectation-of-fear-i-have/) [Casey Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/casey-hill/) > [People will say to me, ‘You’ve played so many strong women,’ and I’ll say, ‘Have you ever said to a man, “You’ve played so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meryl-streep/people-will-say-to-me-you-ve-played-so-many-strong-women-and-i-ll-say/) [Meryl Streep](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meryl-streep/) > [Superman didn't become Superman. Superman was born Superman. When Superman wakes up in the morning, he's Superman. His alter ego is Clark Kent. His…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/quentin-tarantino/superman-didn-t-become-superman-superman-was-born-superman-when/) [Quentin Tarantino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/quentin-tarantino/) > [..you wanted to be the Superman who was never Clark Kent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonard-cohen/you-wanted-to-be-the-superman-who-was-never-clark-kent/) [Leonard Cohen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonard-cohen/) > [I used to go to all the environmental conferences when I wasn't an invited speaker. I was just somebody in the back taking a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/van-jones/i-used-to-go-to-all-the-environmental-conferences-when-i-wasn-t-an/) [Van Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/van-jones/) > [Batman is the one you go to for answers and Clark Kent is the one you go to to really do the right thing.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-snyder/batman-is-the-one-you-go-to-for-answers-and-clark-kent-is-the-one-you/) [Scott Snyder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-snyder/) > [“All superheroes had pretty much the same problem. Batman was flash and sexy compared to Bruce Wayne and even Robin was a lot cooler…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-christopher-baer/all-superheroes-had-pretty-much-the-same-problem-batman-was-flash-and/) [Will Christopher Baer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-christopher-baer/) > [When I directed the pilot for 'Smallville,' I knew that making Clark Kent relatable would be the key to audiences believing in him as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-nutter/when-i-directed-the-pilot-for-smallville-i-knew-that-making-clark/) [David Nutter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-nutter/) > [By no means am I as moral as Clark Kent, by no means at all. I made a lot of mistakes and done a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-cain/by-no-means-am-i-as-moral-as-clark-kent-by-no-means-at-all-i-made-a/) [Dean Cain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-cain/) > [My favorite record was the one I produced with Clark Kent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/damon-dash/my-favorite-record-was-the-one-i-produced-with-clark-kent/) [Damon Dash](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/damon-dash/) > [“Are you really going to carry me up those stairs?" "Yeah." Gennie cast a look at the winding staircase and tightened her hold. "I'd…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nora-roberts/are-you-really-going-to-carry-me-up-those-stairs-yeah-gennie-cast-a/) [Nora Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nora-roberts/) > [The ‘I’ character in journalism is almost pure invention. Unlike the ‘I’ of autobiography, who is meant to be seen as a representation of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-malcolm/the-i-character-in-journalism-is-almost-pure-invention-unlike-the-i/) [Janet Malcolm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-malcolm/) > [Big Ben just kept building up. It ended up coming off the field. It kept taking over. Superman kept taking over Clark Kent and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-roethlisberger/big-ben-just-kept-building-up-it-ended-up-coming-off-the-field-it/) [Ben Roethlisberger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-roethlisberger/) > [I remember it when I used to go out, I used to dress as Superman, but then I used to dress as Superman dressed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-veitch/i-remember-it-when-i-used-to-go-out-i-used-to-dress-as-superman-but/) [James Veitch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-veitch/) > [At first I thought, if I were Superman, a perfect secret identity would be "Clark Kent, Dentist," because you could save money on tooth…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-handey/at-first-i-thought-if-i-were-superman-a-perfect-secret-identity-would/) [Jack Handey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-handey/) ## More by Warren Farrell > [Men are fair, and they have learned not to personalize anger - they can disagree with you and argue to the bone, but afterward…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-farrell/men-are-fair-and-they-have-learned-not-to-personalize-anger-they-can/) [Warren Farrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-farrell/) > [Sexual harassment legislation in its present form makes all men unequal to all women.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-farrell/sexual-harassment-legislation-in-its-present-form-makes-all-men/) [Warren Farrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-farrell/) > [By starving our children of men, we have made them more vulnerable to the very abuse we are trying to prevent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-farrell/by-starving-our-children-of-men-we-have-made-them-more-vulnerable-to/) [Warren Farrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-farrell/) > [The legal bias for special protection for women has begun to wreak havoc with the Constitution's guarantee of equal protection.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-farrell/the-legal-bias-for-special-protection-for-women-has-begun-to-wreak/) [Warren Farrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-farrell/) > [After years of research, I discovered 25 differences in the work-life choices of men and women. All 25 lead to men earning more money,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-farrell/after-years-of-research-i-discovered-25-differences-in-the-work-life/) [Warren Farrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-farrell/) > [In the past we believed both sexes were born with original sin. Today, we have come to unconsciously believe in the original sin of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-farrell/in-the-past-we-believed-both-sexes-were-born-with-original-sin-today/) [Warren Farrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-farrell/) > [If we hold the married man accountable for finances gone legally awry, then the married woman should be held accountable for children who go…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-farrell/if-we-hold-the-married-man-accountable-for-finances-gone-legally-awry/) [Warren Farrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-farrell/) > [Black men, Indian men, and gay men have all have something in common: They do not provide an economic security blanket for women.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-farrell/black-men-indian-men-and-gay-men-have-all-have-something-in-common/) [Warren Farrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-farrell/) > [ In Stage I, divorces were not allowed, so men's \[sexual\] affairs did not put women's economic security in jeopardy; in Stage II, affairs could… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-farrell/in-stage-i-divorces-were-not-allowed-so-men-s-sexual-affairs-did-not/) [Warren Farrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-farrell/) > [Men tuned into women but not tuned into their own hurts usually retained the attitude that women needed special protection.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-farrell/men-tuned-into-women-but-not-tuned-into-their-own-hurts-usually/) [Warren Farrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-farrell/) > [We have restricted humans from giving 'free' food to bears and dolphins because we know that such feeding would make them dependent and lead…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-farrell/we-have-restricted-humans-from-giving-free-food-to-bears-and-dolphins/) [Warren Farrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-farrell/) > [Irony: While we increasingly hold people more responsible if they drink and drive, we hold women less responsible if they drink and have sex.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-farrell/irony-while-we-increasingly-hold-people-more-responsible-if-they/) [Warren Farrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-farrell/) > [A family that knows how to play together has the tools to stay together.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-farrell/a-family-that-knows-how-to-play-together-has-the-tools-to-stay/) [Warren Farrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-farrell/) > [For example, the equivalent of a woman being treated as a sex object is a man being treated as a success object.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-farrell/for-example-the-equivalent-of-a-woman-being-treated-as-a-sex-object/) [Warren Farrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-farrell/) > [Sometimes I have a feeling, when I look back on my life, that all I've been through has prepared me perfectly for just what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-farrell/sometimes-i-have-a-feeling-when-i-look-back-on-my-life-that-all-i-ve/) [Warren Farrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-farrell/) [Explore all 277 Warren Farrell quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-farrell/) ## More Accepted quotes > [Merkel has realized that the euro is not working, but she cannot change the narrative she has created because that narrative has caught the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-soros/merkel-has-realized-that-the-euro-is-not-working-but-she-cannot/) [George Soros](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-soros/) > [I started off playing by ear, and being around a bunch of musicians and playing in the streets and in the different parades and,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/troy-andrews/i-started-off-playing-by-ear-and-being-around-a-bunch-of-musicians/) [Troy Andrews](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/troy-andrews/) > [Greatness is not guarding yourself from people. Greatness is being accepted by the people](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-tyson/greatness-is-not-guarding-yourself-from-people-greatness-is-being/) [Mike Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-tyson/) > [The idea that this world is a playground instead of a battleground has now been accepted in practice by the vast majority of Christians.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aiden-wilson-tozer/the-idea-that-this-world-is-a-playground-instead-of-a-battleground/) [Aiden Wilson Tozer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aiden-wilson-tozer/) > [Bruce Katz is a spectacular talent! He's a brilliant composer and arranger who uses uncommon and unique musical intelligence to redefine jazz and blues…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-coryell/bruce-katz-is-a-spectacular-talent-he-s-a-brilliant-composer-and/) [Larry Coryell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-coryell/) > [wishes for sons by Lucille Clifton i wish them cramps. i wish them a strange town and the last tampon. I wish them no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucille-clifton/wishes-for-sons-by-lucille-clifton-i-wish-them-cramps-i-wish-them-a/) [Lucille Clifton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucille-clifton/) > [What our species needs, above all else, is a generally accepted ethical system that is compatible with the scientific knowledge we now possess.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/what-our-species-needs-above-all-else-is-a-generally-accepted-ethical/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [There are a lot of movies about misfits that are quite cool, that kind of glamorize it on some level. I think there are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-hall/there-are-a-lot-of-movies-about-misfits-that-are-quite-cool-that-kind/) [Rebecca Hall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-hall/) > [In Quebec City many Muslims have said that they hide their faith because they know that if they don't, if they show that they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andre-pratte/in-quebec-city-many-muslims-have-said-that-they-hide-their-faith/) Andre Pratte > [The rules and principles of case law have never been treated as final truths but as working hypotheses, continually retested in those great laboratories…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-n-cardozo/the-rules-and-principles-of-case-law-have-never-been-treated-as-final/) [Benjamin N. Cardozo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-n-cardozo/) > [ We have reached a situation where a theory has been accepted as fact by some, and possible contrary evidence is shunted aside. \[This is\]… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-shapiro/we-have-reached-a-situation-where-a-theory-has-been-accepted-as-fact/) [Robert Shapiro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-shapiro/) > [And if all others accepted the lie which the Party imposed—if all records told the same tale—then the lie passed into history and became…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-orwell/and-if-all-others-accepted-the-lie-which-the-party-imposed-if-all/) [George Orwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-orwell/) > [I was in a conversation and someone said: "You know, we were talking about the whole issue of transgender and how it has become…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oprah-winfrey/i-was-in-a-conversation-and-someone-said-you-know-we-were-talking/) [Oprah Winfrey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oprah-winfrey/) > [Divorce is so common and accepted in America that beating myself up over it may sound ridiculous. But I was raised to believe that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trisha-yearwood/divorce-is-so-common-and-accepted-in-america-that-beating-myself-up/) [Trisha Yearwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trisha-yearwood/) > [Handicaps can be converted into stepping stones on which one may climb toward some worthy goal, unless they are accepted as obstacles, and used…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/napoleon-hill/handicaps-can-be-converted-into-stepping-stones-on-which-one-may/) [Napoleon Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/napoleon-hill/) Browse all 2,128 Accepted quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Perhaps the most prevailing expectation of men is our Superman expectation: the fear we are merely Clark Kents who won't be accepted unless we are a Superman.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Warren Farrell" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-farrell/perhaps-the-most-prevailing-expectation-of-men-is-our-superman/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Accepted" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-farrell/perhaps-the-most-prevailing-expectation-of-men-is-our-superman/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bdf/warren-farrell-1187_accepted_perhaps-the-most-prevailing-expectation_178354.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bdf/warren-farrell-1187_accepted_perhaps-the-most-prevailing-expectation_178354.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bdf/warren-farrell-1187_accepted_perhaps-the-most-prevailing-expectation_178354.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Perhaps the most prevailing expectation of men is our Superman expectation: the fear we are merely Clark…” — Warren Farrell", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Warren Farrell", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-farrell/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Perhaps the most prevailing expectation of...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-farrell/perhaps-the-most-prevailing-expectation-of-men-is-our-superman/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-farrell/perhaps-the-most-prevailing-expectation-of-men-is-our-superman/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```